96th Paris-Roubaix, World Cup Round 3

France, April 12, 1998

Report

Italian cyclist Franco Ballerini won his second Paris-Roubaix (1995 his first)
by over 4 minutes from his teammates Andrea Tafi and Belgian Wilfried
Peeters. The results was carbon copy of Mapei's 1996 performance
although this year the actors were different. In 1996 Museeuw, Bortolami and
Tafi took the podium and "arranged" the finish to allow Museeuw to win (he
may have won anyway!). This year the race was difficult almost from
the start, because in addition to the usual battles over the cobbles,
bad weather accompanied the riders throughout the day. But the breakaway, which
proved finally to be successful came well into the race - at the 186.5 kms mark.
6 riders who were in front group opened a gap of about one minute, with Ekimov,
Ballerini and Tafi driving. A little before this break, around km
155, in a pave section through the Arenberg forest there were numerous falls. One
of the most affected was Belgian Johan Museeuw, one of the favorites for the win,
who had been well placed until then due to the excellent work of his
teammates. Museeuw, who was the winner at the Tour of
Flanders last weekend, had to be transported to the
hospital because of an injury to his knee which was subsenquently diagnosed
as a cracked patella.

Museeuw's fall and withdrawal led to the Mapeio director changing the team
plans. Mapei neutralized every escape attempt and then broke open
the race. Things worked to perfection, when at around
km 200 a group of 8 ridersformed with Ballerini, Tafi and Peeters, plus
Moncassin, Van Bon, Sorensen, Boscardin and Backstedt. Ballerini launched an attack
with 50 kms to go and almost without wanting it he found himself a few
meters ahead of his breakaway companions, with Tafi and Peeters controlling the
breakaway behind him. At the Roubaix velodrome, Ballerini did his thing,
while behind, Tafi and Peeters after controlling his escape, subsequently
drove away from Moncassin et al and completed the Mapei podium.